With less than two weeks before classes begin at Northwestern, employees are preparing for students and faculty to return to campus. Many will notice the upgrades to sidewalks and a few buildings when they return in a few weeks on Aug. 20. Whether you are a newbie to campus or have been around for awhile, you will see the great changes.

As a way to welcome new staff to Northwestern, there will be a New Staff Orientation held on Thursday, Aug. 9, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you are a new staff member to campus and would like to be a part of this Orientation, contact Natalie Miller at (580) 327-8441 or ndmiller@nwosu.edu.

Staff Council on the Web

Northwestern's Staff Council has a presence on the university web pages. To see who the staff representatives are, how to contact them, and minutes from their meetings, please visit www.nwosu.edu/staff-council.

The Staff Council also sponsors "Campus Kudos," a public acknowledgement that applauds the efforts of eligible staff members who have displayed an act of kindness above and beyond their job responsibilities. Anyone may submit nominations using the criteria and the form available on their web site. The following examples should be taken into consideration: • Makes a difference to NWOSU and/or to members of the campus community • Goes above and beyond expectations • Excels as a team player • Strives to bring out the Ranger "Spirit" in others.

The Spring 2012 Campus Kudos recipient is Sabrina Watson. Visit the Staff Council website to see more about this award.

A "Campus Kudos" nomination form will be sent out next week. If you'd like to nominate someone for a "Campus Kudos," keep that nominee in mind and complete the form next week.

New Faculty Orientation

New faculty begin their orientation Aug. 14. During a two-day orientation, faculty will meet with other peers and attend various workshops. For more information on the New Faculty Orientation, contact Tammy Brown at (580) 327-8429 or tlbrown@nwosu.edu.

Annual All Campus Get Together

All employees are invited to attend the Annual All Campus Get Together to kick off the new school year. Come over to Coronado Cafeteria on Friday, Aug. 17 for some fun, food and conversation. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m.

Need a new photo?

If your department has new faculty and/or staff members or needs to update a group photo for Northwestern web pages, please contact Erika Birk in the Office of University Relations at (580) 327-8480 or edbirk@nwosu.edu to set up an appointment. Faculty photos can be taken during department meetings when all faculty are together on Aug. 17. Several chairs already have made appointments that day to update photos, and it's the perfect opportunity for group photos while faculty are all together before the craziness of the school year begins.

Enrollment open until Aug. 28

There is still time to enroll for the fall semester. Check out available classes at www.nwosu.edu/course-schedules. Call recruitment at (580) 327-8546 with any questions about enrolling. Needing a place to live for the semester? Contact Marc Wallace, director of housing, at (580) 327-8418. If you are receiving Financial Aid for the semester or need Financial Aid, contact their office at (580) 327-8542 or visit www.nwosu.edu/scholarships to apply for any additional scholarships.

Besides finding Northwestern photos and video online, we'd like to invite you to join us on social media if you haven't already. Northwestern has a Facebook Page and Twitter Page.

Campus Events on the Calendar

We'd like to remind you that if you have an event coming up that you want the Northwestern community, as well as those possibly off-campus, to know about, please fill out an event form. We'd appreciate everyone filling out the form even if you don't have to schedule a room with anyone. By using the form, this will allow us to get your event listed on the calendar. Otherwise, we may not know about it. We thank you in advance.

Use this online form to submit new stories to University Relations when you need a press release to go out to local and area media. Press releases our office sends out to the media also are made available to campus media, are placed online at University News and will be posted in this newsletter. If you have news items that pertain only to campus, please submit your info to the Northwestern News, NWTV7 and KNSU Radio. You also may submit that same info to our office for the newsletter.